Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Vegan Finances 101

I'm cheap. I rarely buy new clothes, shoes, socks, and other necessities. When something breaks around the house, it can take months before I finally convince myself to shell out the money to replace it. I'm too much of a tightwad to spend money on cable. The other day, I bought a shirt on sale for $5! And I spent the rest of the night feeling guilty for spending $5 on clothes.

But I don't think twice about paying $5 for a delicious vanilla soy latte or $20 to $30 on one restaurant meal with wine or beer. I surely didn't have a single guilty thought about forking over $6.50 for this small loaf of vegan Garlic-Herb Foccacia from Lady Bugg Bakery in Midtown's Yolo yogurt shop:

I wasn't sure how much the loaf would cost when I brought it to the register. Though it was marked with a "6" sticker, I didn't realize that was a "6" or that $6 could possibly be the price. I had gone into the vegan-friendly bakery for a strawberry cupcake (which was delicious!) when I saw the red "vegan" sticker on the savory foccacia bread. When something is labeled "vegan" in a place that isn't exclusively vegan, I have to have it right away. The cashier could have told me $10 and I would paid that too.

When I got the bread home, I heated a small piece and bit into a garlicky piece of vegan heaven. Worth every precious penny, and so much tastier than that $5 shirt. Granted, the bread is gone now, and I still have the shirt. But delicious food makes for cherished memories for me.

Does that make me a foodie? If so, I promise I'm not the pretentious gourmond foodie type. I just enjoy the taste of good vegan food more than just about any other life experience. I live to eat.

Do you prioritize food spending over spending on other essential items?

25 comments:

I am the same way! My husband laughs that I don't look at the price of food, but I did stop at the $45/lb. morel mushrooms at the co-op the other day. I just couldn't do it, although I'm sure they would have tasted fab! My clothes are from swaps or thrift stores, but my food is top notch. :-)

I think most of us would agree with you. At least it's a little more sensible than spending money on tchockes and knick knacks that just gather dust and take up space. If the food is gone, it means it was used and not wasted!

I am also the same way. It takes me months to convince myself that it really is time for a new pair of jeans when i can't patch them for the third or forth time. But i am constantly buying new baking ingredients or splurges like vegan peeps.

I'm just like this. As I've been transitioning to the expense of special vegan products this year, I completely stopped buy clothes. It's been 9 months since I bought any clothing. But so so much good vegan food.

i echo the others - i'm the same. my monthly budget has no section for clothes/toiletries/household items, but a ton of room for food and "fun" (ie alcohol). i wonder why i won't buy new clothing b/c i can't imagine paying $28 for pants (which is apparently cheap according to my fashion-y friends), but i paid $53 the other night for a meal... sigh, at least it was good! great post! looks yum!

I feel you. I'm wearing clothes that I've had for about 10 years now, but on Tuesday I had 3 appetizers, an entree, a dessert, a bottle of wine, and two cups of coffee at Horizons in Philadelphia. If you've never been there, rest assured that it's not the cheapest.

I'm so glad you did this post. I'm completely the same way. I obsessed about buying a beautiful second hand table for $25, but I would spend that on a meal without a second thought. I ended up getting the table, but my husband still makes fun of me about it.

AGREED. I'd say 98% of my finances go the way of food items, whether it be for groceries, coffee, or visiting restaurants and bakeries. What can I say? A girl's gotta eat, and if she's gonna eat, she might as well eat the good stuff :)

I do the same thing. I spend more on food than anything else. But I consider it an investment in my future. Having good, quality food now means (hopefully) fewer health problems in the future and a longer, happier life! Not to mention feeling better now, too :)

amen! thanks for this post. people spend money on stupid stuff. @rick- eating healthy vegan food IS taking care of your mind and body. not sure what you mean about house but as others have said, there's no need to buy crap for your house you don't need. i don't think bianca is addicted to food as you say.

I will happily spash money about for food and cookbooks and restaurants. I'm off the the US in just over a month and I have been making all my plans and working out my budget based on the food I am going to eat while I am there.

The only thing I buy new is food and toiletries-and recently a new tarp to go camping. For me it's not just being a mega cheapo, it's because I don't need any more stuff, and the world doesn't need any more physical stuff.

But I hear you on the food splurging-$6 on some awesome vegan foccacia is totally better than $3 on a nasty burger :) and I agree with JohnP, anything to encourage retailers to stock vegan wares!!

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm an 11-year vegan, 21-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.